Improvement in sewing-machine crates



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

FRANCIS TANNER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JAMES W. CHENEY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINE CRATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,373, dated July 16, 1872.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS TANNER, of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sewing-Machine Crates; and I do declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon and being a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my crate inclosin g a sewin g-machine ready for shipment, and Fig. 2 is an elevation of the crate contracted.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.

The nature of this invention relates to a crate for inclosing a sewing-machine in trans portation, which may be contracted into onehalf the volume in returning it empty to the shipper, and thus enable him to economize in the freight charges thereon. The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the crate in two sections, so arranged that the one may inclose the other when not in use, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, A represents the standard legs of a sewing-machine, of which B is the table and C the cover. E E are the sills of the lower half of the crate, connected at the ends by the girts E E nailed thereon, with an offset, a, cut in the ends of eachto allow the feet of the standards to rest on the sills and to keep them in place. F F are two uprights at each end of the sill-frame, braced by the diagonals b. F are uprights pendent from the corners of the upper frame G, whose middle girt Gr rests on top of the sewing-machine cover C. G are horizontal girts, whose ends are strapped to the edges of the pendants F at the plane of the table 13, at each side thereof; and G are two girts strapped on the upper edges of the girts G one at each side of the cover, and rest on the table of the machine. The lower ends of the pendants F overlap the ends of the uprights F, and are securely fastened thereto by bolts and nuts a passing through both. The ends and corners of the various parts should be strapped with iron to prevent splitting. By removing the bolts 0 the upper half of the crate may be lifted off the machine. The machine can then be lifted out of the lower half of the crate, when the upper half may be slipped down over the lower one and the bolts 0 replaced, passing them, however through the holes (1 near the lower ends of the uprights, as seen in Fig. 2, which thus reduces the crate one-half in height, or nearly so, enabling the machine-shipper to have his crates returned at a small charge for return freight, to be used again for shipping other machines.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The described crate, consisting of the sills E, girts E with offset a, uprights F, and diagonals b, in combination with upper frame G, having girts G G2 and pendants F, the upper frame being adapted to slide over the lower one, as described.

FRANCIS TANNER.

Witnesses:

H. F. EBERTs, H. S. SPRAGUE, 

